‘Truly terrifying’: Caracas confronts the aftermath of Venezuela earthquake

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As of Thursday, at least 188 deaths have been recorded, and thousands more have been reported injured. The twin earthquakes measured at the upper end of the Richter scale, reaching magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, respectively, on the nine-point metric. Buildings collapsed as the ground rippled, leaving people trapped in the rubble. Following the earthquake, several residents in the Caracas metropolitan area recounted their experiences, confronting the shock. “I was at home, and the house began shaking violently. At first, I thought it was the wind coming through the windows, but when I looked outside and saw that it was shaking too, I grabbed onto the doorway and started to pray,” said 52-year-old Maria Gonzalez. Gonzalez lives in the Chacao municipality, on the outskirts of Caracas — one of the most seismically active areas in the state of Miranda. She reported that several items in her home fell. Although her building sustained no damage, she chose to stay in Plaza Altamira, an open area in the centre of town, while waiting for things to return to normal. More than 10 aftershocks occurred following the initial seismic activity. “I stayed out on the street until three in the morning because I would leave my home whenever aftershocks hit. People were having nervous breakdowns and crying,” Gonzalez explained. Sixty-year-old Alejandro San Cristobal experienced the earthquake while walking along Sucre Street in Chacao. In a moment of panic, he tried to distance himself from surrounding buildings. “I threw myself into the middle of the street,” he said. He struggled to keep his balance, and he noticed cars swaying in the street as the ground trembled. People were screaming. “The noise was like that of a locomotive, not to mention the dust that was kicked up in the street,” San Cristobal recalled. He is now waiting for officials to complete a seismic assessment of the building where he lives, given its age. “It seems there was some damage to the rooftop water tanks. But generally speaking, it’s in good shape, unlike other buildings where all the walls collapsed,” he said. Eunice Arias, 45, works at a currency exchange in the neighbourhood of Altamira and felt the earthquake while on the way home to La California, another district in the Caracas suburbs. “It was terrifying — the vibration of the buildings, the roaring of the columns,” Arias said. “It was truly terrifying.” Arias recalled having experienced minor earthquakes in Venezuela, which sits along the barrier of two tectonic plates. But nothing compared to Wednesday’s seismic activity, not least because there were two earthquakes in quick succession. “I thought the building was going to collapse. I was just reaching my apartment when lamps and televisions started falling. It was indescribable, horrible,” Arias said. Arias wept as she spoke about her family, who occupied her mind during the earthquakes. To calm down, she spent hours in her car, attempting to process what had happened. There was no major damage to her building, but upon arriving at work on Thursday, Arias saw that the Altamira area was among the hardest hit. “They are inspecting my office building to see if it is possible to enter,” Arias said. The Venezuelan capital remained in a state of shock on Thursday morning following the earthquakes. Many people slept overnight in public squares, and some attempted to go to work. In neighbourhoods like Altamira, Los Palos Grandes and El Paraiso, dozens of families have lost their homes. 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